After the War: Rokudaime Hokage and Dad
by bea499
Summary: Naruhina... Naruto is hokage now, and Hinata is expecting. What challenges will he face as Hokage and as a dad? Minor pairings, main focus NaruHina. Sequel to After the War: Team Naruto
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

As the sun rose slowly, there was hardly a sound to be heard in Konohagakure, except from the Namikaze household.

Namikaze Hinata was doubled over the toilet seat, retching miserably while her husband and current Hokage held her hair away from her face, rubbing her back gently.

"You really should see Sakura-chan." He chided gently, "I knew something was up when you started asking for miso ramen in the middle of the night."

Hinata elbowed him weakly, "I told you I'm sorry for the times I woke you up in the middle of the night."

"I know, I'm sorry too. I couldn't resist."

Finally Hinata leaned against him, gasping and panting. He turned her over to the sink and Hinata flossed quickly.

Then he picked her up bridal-style and carried her to the bed.

Hinata cuddled up underneath the covers, and Naruto kissed her forehead.

"I'm sending for Hanabi." He told her, making hand signs, "And I'm scheduling an appointment with Sakura."

Eight clones erupted beside him.

"What do you want for breakfast? I'll have to head over, but my clones can tend to you until Hanabi comes."

Two clones jumped out of the window. Three rushed out of the room. Two started massaging Hinata's feet, and one flipped her over to give her a back-rub.

Naruto leant and kissed her.

Hinata slung an arm around his neck, pulling him closer. Eventually, Naruto pulled back and cupped her chin, staring at her.

"Take care, okay?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Hinata giggled.

Then she became serious, "You have the council meeting today."

Naruto shook his head, "I'll send a message if I'll have a meeting today, but I think I'll study the new seal for a little longer. Just to make sure it's foolproof."

Hinata nodded, "Doesn't hurt to be sure. I'll be over if you need me. Just send a message."

Before he could speak, she added, "And I won't exert myself, Naru-kun."

Naruto chuckled and kissed her again, once on the mouth and a final one on the forehead before disappearing in a flash.

He had developed the hatred for paperwork common in all Kages on his very first day at the office, since he was so hyperactive.

"Shikamaru, we still haven't arranged a secretary." Naruto reminded his advisor, and then paused as memories from his dispelled clone came back to him.

"I know, but it's too troublesome to go looking for a secretary, damn it. You'll have to wait until the right person turns up."

Naruto created two clones, "Do I have any meetings today?"

"No, not until after lunch."

"Good. My clones will take care of the paperwork, I need to get some things from my library."

He was gone in a flash, and came back two minutes later with two books and a scroll under his arm.

He sat down cross-legged and started studying the scroll. Shikamaru stared at him; who knew Naruto could be so focused?

Thirty minutes later, Naruto gave up.

"Gaaaah! I can't find a single fault in this stupid seal!"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, "What's it for anyway?"

Naruto smiled, "The All-Seeing Clan."

"The Hyuuga? You're making a variant of the Caged Bird Seal?"

Naruto shook his head, "Not making. Made. It's finished, which is why I want you to summon the council."

"You're passing a decree. Do you have any idea how much you'll piss the Hyuuga clan council?"

"I'm passing more than one decree, Shikamaru." Naruto replied with a grin, throwing him a scroll.

Shikamaru read them aloud, "'No clan act affecting a Konoha shinobi can be passed without consultation of the Hokage.' 'The Hokage's word is absolute if more than half of the council—shinobi and civilian combined—agree with him.' 'The Hokage can take any emergency measures deemed necessary in the case of a threat to the village.' 'The civilian council has no vote in acts passed which affect the shinobi population of the village, and vice versa.' Do you think it's wise to drop all these bombs on them together?"

Naruto shrugged, "It'll give them less time to think individually on each of the decrees."

"So what is it about the seal?"

"Last one."

"'All shinobi with a bloodline must have the Bloodline Protection Seal applied.' Is this your seal?"

"Works for all bloodlines." Naruto nodded, "Only passed down to the offspring. If a shinobi dies, his/her bloodline DNA destroys itself. If he/she is kidnapped, they can send chakra to a trigger on the seal which will, once again, make their bloodline DNA destroy itself."

"Let's see… There's the Hyuuga Clan… what if they make you apply the seal with the Caged Bird Seal?"

"Can't." Naruto replied simply, "It cancels out all other seals ever placed on the person."

"Good. Thought of everything… okay, so… Hyuuga, Yamato, Kakashi, and…"

Naruto nodded, "Sasuke."

Shikamaru stared at him, "Have you seen him since you became Hokage?"

Naruto fidgeted, "No… I'll have to go see him now anyway. Tell an ANBU to go tell Hinata that I've called a meeting."

Shikamaru nodded.

Five hours later, Naruto closed the council meeting door behind him, his shoulders slumped and creases across his forehead. Heaving a huge sigh and rubbing his forehead, he made his way to his office.

"Naruto-kun, are you all right?" Somebody asked as he entered his office.

Caught by surprise, Naruto turned to his right and saw Hinata sitting on the window-sill, her hair done up in a bun and dressed in a loose purple shirt on black pants.

He smiled stiffly, "Hi, Hinata-chan."

Hinata strode over to him immediately, "You sound exhausted! The council give you a hard time?"

Naruto slumped in his chair, "You could say that. I wish the old clan leaders would just shrivel up and die, so that the new, more intelligent ones can take their place."

Normally Hinata would have chided him for such a remark, but she held her tongue for now.

She went and stood behind him and started massaging his forehead, "Did you have lunch?"

Naruto shook his head.

"You left without breakfast too. How about you leave a clone here to handle the paperwork and we go get some Ichiraku's?"

Naruto glanced at her, "You craving for ramen again?"

Hinata blushed, "I just feel like it."

With a tired smile, Naruto made a clone and the 'royal' couple went out for some fresh air.

As they walked down the street to Ichiraku's hand-in-hand, the two caught a lot of smiles and nods and acknowledgements. Hinata squeezed his hand and smiled at him lovingly.

"I have to head to the Hyuuga compound in an hour, and you have to come with me." He told her, kissing her cheek gently, "After the Hyuuga it's to Yamato-taicho, and then Kakashi-sensei, and then Sasuke."

"Busy day." Hinata replied.

Naruto nodded, "You got the timing of your appointment with Sakura?"

Hinata nodded, "Later this evening. Don't worry, Naruto, I'll go see her."

They had reached Ichiraku's by this point. Naruto whistled softly. He was seeing Ichiraku's after a long time, so he was surprised by the size.

It had been turned to an in-built restaurant, with tables inside.

"Well… look who it is! Konoha's most famous and most in-love couple." Teuchi grinned as they sat down at a corner table, "The usual?"

"Miso pork for me too, Teuchi-san." Hinata put in, "The usual for Naruto-kun."

"And a tiny bit of sake too." Naruto stretched.

They had sat down side-by-side, so Naruto pulled Hinata close and rested his head on her shoulder, kissing her neck or shoulder every few seconds and holding her hand.

Hinata gazed at the matching wedding rings on their fingers, smiling as she recalled their wedding day.

"Miso pork and sake coming right up!" Ayame sang, bringing their orders over, "Awww…. Look at you two! You look so sweet!"

Naruto glared slightly, "Ayame, I had enough of that when I was seven, thank you very much!"

Ayame laughed loudly, putting the bowls down, "Sorry, I couldn't resist. You two really are the picture of love."

Naruto smiled too as he separated a little from Hinata.

"Itadakimasu!" The both said together, and smiled at each other for a minute before digging in.

"Hiashi-san." Naruto bowed wearily.

Hiashi gazed at him critically, "You seem tired, Hokage-sama."

He twitched at the formality from his father-in-law and then smiled briefly, "I had to deal with the council for five hours for this shit."

"My daughter?" Hiashi started speaking, and his eyebrow twitched when Naruto immediately glanced at Hanabi, "OK, OK, your wife. Have you already applied the seal?"

"No, I'll do it when I get home." Naruto replied carelessly, smiling mischievously, "That way, she won't have to deal with the headache all alone. I'll be able to _help _her out."

He muffled a snicker at the look on Hiashi's face.

'_Yep… I actually feel better now.' _He smirked.

"Headache?" Hanabi asked uneasily.

Naruto nodded, "I haven't had a chance to experiment, but I'm pretty sure you'll get a big headache."

"You have ANBU with you, Naruto." Hiashi dropped the formality.

The ANBU in the middle lifted his mask, revealing himself to be Sai. The other two simply shrugged.

"We'll help out, and besides, he's the Hokage. Can't go anywhere without ANBU." One of them explained.

"I can't apply the seal on everybody myself. It would take three days. Sai's going to draw the seal, and I'll do the rest."

"Oh. I understand."

Naruto waited for a few seconds, and then sighed.

"Well then… let's get going then."

Hiashi led the way. Suppressing a yawn, Naruto followed him, Hanabi at his side.

"You seem very tired." Hanabi frowned critically.

"Didn't get much sleep last night."

"Is ne-san feeling better?" Hanabi asked.

Naruto nodded with a smile, "We ate together before coming here, and despite wanting to eat miso ramen, she was fine."

Hanabi glared at him, "So what if she wanted ramen?"

Naruto shrugged nervously, "Nothing, nothing! It's just… she's never eaten ramen with such eagerness before."

"If you can, why can't she?"

"Both my parents were ramen-addicts." Naruto reminded her, "Hinata prefers more healthy food over ramen."

To say that the atmosphere inside was tense would be an understatement. The branch members were gazing at Naruto nervously and a tad bit incredulously, while the more pompous head family members glared at him with clear loathing in their eyes.

"You do know that you're glaring at your Hokage and not the runt of the village?" One of the ANBU asked conversationally.

"And that he can have your heads if you even think something along the lines of treason?"

"And that he will not hesitate, because honestly, no one would miss you?"

The elders simply glared, "Where is Hiashi's other offspring!? She is to be sealed too."

"She will be sealed." Naruto glared at them, causing most of them to flinch, "And I would advise you not to call my wife as somebody's offspring, because quite simply, now she's to be referred to as somebody's wife."

Hiashi sweat-dropped at the logic.

"All right. All of you form a line." Naruto instructed, "Who will go first, otou-san?"

"The head family, starting with us." Hiashi gestured to himself and Hanabi, "Then the elders, then other head members. The branch family goes last."

Naruto nodded, "All right then."

He took a deep breath and took the sealing brush from Sai.

"Hiashi-sama."

Hiashi stepped up, Hanabi right behind him. A drop of sweat trickled down Naruto's cheek as he drew out the seal on Hiashi's forehead slowly and patiently.

Once he was done, he started some hand signs. When the seals were finished, the seal on Hiashi's head started shining brightly, and after a minute disappeared into his skin.

Hiashi fidgeted, not showing any clear signs of discomfort, "You were right about the headache."

"Hokage-sama. Do we…"

"No. Let me speak to him." Naruto cut off the ANBU, "I'll handle him if something happens."

The ANBU nodded and opened the cell.

Naruto stepped in and looked around.

"Damn, teme." He whistled softly, "Even in prison, you get a cell as big as my bedroom. I've seen it before, but I get amazed every time."

Sasuke remained silent.

"I hope they treat you OK here?" Naruto asked.

"You've won a lot of fans." Sasuke's voice was croaky from disuse.

Naruto smiled briefly, "Well, yeah, saved the world, brought peace, and all."

"What are you here for?"

"Hey! Don't act like I don't visit you every few weeks. And it's not my fault you're such boring company." Naruto took a deep breath, "I'm actually here on Hokage business. Don't know if you've heard of the new law."

"Which?"

"Every Konoha shinobi with a kekkai genkai must have the protection seal applied."

"Oh? What does it do?"

"Relax, teme. It just protects your bloodline from being taken when you die or forcefully when you're alive. You can even destroy it yourself."

"You created this seal?"

Naruto, unknown to Sasuke, was smiling hugely. For Sasuke to talk this much was a huge change.

"I've already gone to the Hyuuga, Kakashi, Yamato; the only person left is you. Well, and Hinata."

"Hn."

"You ready?"

"Hn."

Naruto turned on the lights and started drawing the intricate seal on Sasuke's forehead, talking while he did so.

"Akira-ne-san's due this month." He told Sasuke.

"Hn."

"Sakura's been dubbed the Medic Sannin."

"Hn."

"You're gay."

"Hn."

When Naruto snickered, Sasuke realized what he'd said.

"Kuso!" Sasuke muttered, glaring at Naruto.

"You might want to loosen up on the killing intent, teme." Naruto said calmly as he started making the hand signs.

"Aaaagh." Sasuke groaned when the headache hit, "What the hell!?"

"Yeah, you'll have that for an hour or so. Now excuse me. I'm exhausted, and I have a sexy woman waiting for me back home."

Sasuke groaned again as Naruto flashed.

Naruto collapsed on the bed the moment he flashed in his room. Groaning, he buried his face in the pillows. Lack of sleep, council for five hours, and fuinjutsu had really taken its toll on him.

"You're getting soft." A soft voice giggled underneath him, "Naruto-kun, please move over a little. It's a little uncomfortable."

Naruto pushed himself up on one hand and stared down at Hinata's chest, which had been his 'pillows' a few minutes ago.

"Up here, dear."

Smiling sheepishly, he looked up at his wife's blushing, yet smirking, face.

"Hey."

"Hi." He smiled at her and then yawned.

She ran a hand through his hair, "Tired?"

"Yeah. How did your appointment go?"

"I'm fine." Hinata waved it off, "I invited ne-san over for dinner tomorrow. I want to invite tou-san and imouto too."

"Hinata, how did your appointment go?" Exhaustion forgotten, Naruto gazed at her seriously.

Hinata blushed and fidgeted. Naruto sat up and pulled her against him, holding her close and stroking her hair.

"Hinata-chan?" He whispered softly, kissing her neck.

Hinata gave in.

"I'm pregnant."

Naruto was surprisingly calm. Worried, Hinata turned around and found him grinning widely.

"Why aren't you surprised? Did Sakura—mmff—"

Hinata was interrupted by a long, loving kiss from her husband. Before long, she melted into his arms and started kissing him back.

Finally, panting, they pulled apart. Naruto smiled ecstatically and littered happy kisses all over her face, neck and shoulders.

Before he could move downwards, Hinata pulled him back up for another quick kiss.

"Did Sakura tell you?" She asked him before he could… distract her again.

Naruto shook his head, "Since I've gotten good at sensing emotions and chakra and stuff, I could sense a new chakra inside you. And because any kid we have will have some of the Kyuubi's chakra, Kurama could sense the child in you. Besides, I had to read _a lot _for the Bloodline Protection Seal, and not just fuinjutsu. Since any Hyuuga women could easily be pregnant when sealed, and a couple of them were, I had to read up on all of that. I wasn't sure, but I suspected it."

Hinata blushed at him, and then smiled, "Are you too tired, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto grunted as he pushed her back on the bed, getting on top of her.

"Are the questions finished, Hinata-chan?" He responded with a smirk.

Smiling, Hinata simply nodded.

The seal could come later. For now, Naruto was busy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Helllllllllooooooooooooooooo peeps! :P sorry I havnt updated for so long, I'll try to be faster. Meanwhile, keep reviewing!**

* * *

Chapter Two:

"Shikamaru, we've found ourselves a secretary." Naruto grinned, "Ne-san, you've got a job."

Akira grinned brightly, hugging him as well as she could, "Thanks, Naruto."

Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow, "Are you sure you're not doing this to keep an eye on her?"

Naruto smiled nervously, "Hehe… maybe."

Akira rolled her eyes, "I swear, Naruto, you go really overboard. Hinata's gonna be really mad if you be like that with her."

"He's already taken away her kunoichi status on maternity leave and put her in the Academy." Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "Which reminds me, Naruto, you've got the twentieth invitation for a drink with the gang."

"Everyone?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru nodded, "You can announce then."

"Perfect. Put it in. By the way, did Gaara send the message about the new village in the Land of Wind?"

"It's not a village yet, Naruto. It's still up to the Allied Shinobi Forces to decide whether to give them that rank or not. Which reminds me, the Kages have to meet up in the Land of Snow next week."

"Oh great." Naruto groaned, "Old geezers are going to drive me mad, I swear."

Akira punched his head, "Respect your superiors, baka!"

"Akira-ne-san, your punches are really floppy." Naruto grinned, dodging a second one, "Anyway. I'm going out for a walk, okay?"

"With or without your robes?"

"Without." Naruto replied.

Akira stared at him, puzzled, "What does that mean?"

"He dresses up as a normal nin, with a hood on his face, and goes around the village to check things out from the inside." Shikamaru explained, "It's too troublesome to explain why."

"What's troublesome is the load of paperwork that's stacked up for me. Ne-san, you'll organize it, right?"

Akira nodded.

Naruto made a hand sign and his clothes were replaced by a black hooded vest on normal shinobi attire.

"See ya guys." He flashed out, reappearing seconds later in front of the Konoha Orphanage. He went inside the backyard, where the orphans were playing.

He observed them for a while, smiling. They all looked happy, and they all were playing together, except…

One little dark-haired kid was standing in the corner, observing the others with a look of longing on his face.

Naruto walked up to him.

"Hey kiddo. What's your name?"

"Dai."

"Dai, huh? Well, Dai, why aren't you playing with all the other kids?"

Dai blushed, and just shook his head helplessly.

"Hey kids!" Naruto called, "How come you're not including Dai in your games?"

"He stole my toys." One of them replied, "Dai's a thief!"

Dai shook his head, "Only borrowed it!"

Naruto frowned and beckoned the other kid over, "What's your name?"

"Haru. Who're you?"

"Well, Haru, first thing you gotta learn is to be nice to strangers. Cuz otherwise, they might get angry, and if you ever need them, they won't help you."

"Hmph."

Naruto smiled at the Sasuke-ish attitude.

"The next thing… Dai, did you ask Haru before borrowing his toys?"

Dai shook his head.

"Well, it's not nice to take someone's things without asking them, right, Dai?" Naruto continued gently.

Dai nodded, and after being stared at meaningfully by Naruto, turned to Haru.

"'M sorry I borrowed your toys."

"Promise not to do it again?" Haru asked cautiously, "If you do, I'll tear your clothes."

"Uh-huh!" Naruto reprimanded, "You don't take revenge. If you tear Dai's clothes, he won't apologize and he'll steal even more of your toys, even hurt you maybe. Will that be good?"

"No."

"So if anyone hurts you, will you hurt them back?"

"No."

"Both of you?"

"Yes."

"Good. And Haru, if you share your things, then people probably won't steal them."

"How do you know so much?" An awed voice asked, the speaker approaching them from the swings.

Naruto laughed, smiling at the little dark-haired girl who had asked, "It comes with experience, kiddo."

Naruto ruffled their hair and then headed towards the building.

"You're a natural with kids, shinobi-san." The young woman standing at the door watching the children told him, "Do you have any of your own?"

Naruto smiled at the compliment and shook his head, not mentioning about Hinata's pregnancy in case she connected the rumors and spread the gossip before he told his own friends. Ino and Tenten would really kill him if that happened.

"I suck with babies. I think the only baby I've ever actually held is Kurenai-sensei's kid. I have absolutely no idea what to expect from them." He explained.

"Oh. So are you married?"

He nodded, a small loving smile appearing as it did whenever he thought of his beautiful wife.

"That's good. Do you want me to show you around?"

Naruto glanced at her, puzzled.

"We get a lot of shinobi nowadays, demanding to see if all the kids at the orphanage are treated badly. Especially famous ones like Shikamaru-sama and Shino-sama. I have no idea why they'd think we would treat a child badly."

Naruto flinched, knowing that he was the reason his friends spied at the orphanages.

"So? Would you like to go in?"

"Yeah, sure."

* * *

Naruto frowned as he spotted a young seven to eight year old kid brushing against an old woman in a deliberate way he recognized immediately. The woman didn't notice and continued with her shopping, but Naruto appeared behind the kid and grabbed his shoulder.

"What!? Lemme go!" The kid whispered fiercely, turning around, "Who're you?"

Naruto snatched the wallet and put it back inside the old woman's purse, and then pulled the boy aside, getting a good look at him.

He was awfully skinny, and looked tiny. His raven hair and deep green eyes clashed with his pale skin, making him look sick. He was dirty and muddy and dressed in rags, his hair shaggy, uncut and unkempt.

"Why were you stealing?" Naruto asked sternly.

"How else do ya expect me to survive?" The kid backhanded rudely, "Not everybody's got everythin' handed down to them on a plate."

"I had nothing handed down to me on a plate." Naruto replied.

Then, clamping a hand firmly on the child's shoulder, he teleported.

The kid leapt away from him, cursing; as soon as they arrived in one of the guest bedrooms in his house (The boy didn't know this of course).

"Where am I? Where'd you bring me?"

Naruto didn't answer, but instead made two clones, which nodded and disappeared out of the window. The real Naruto pointed to the bathroom.

"Go wash." He instructed, "You can use everything that's there. If you try to escape, I'll take you straight to the ANBU."

The kid shrugged, not keen on passing up an opportunity to wash up. Besides, from what the room said, the guy was rich, and his bathroom would be luxurious.

Naruto, meanwhile, sat down on the bed.

"What's your name?" He called loudly when he heard the shower running.

"Osamu." The kid yelled back, "B'fore ya ask, no family, no nothing. I'm a worthless orphan."

"Just because you're an orphan doesn't mean you're worthless. Nobody's worthless." Naruto replied automatically, "How old are you?"

"Ten."

"Ten!" Naruto laughed, "You're even smaller than I was when I was your age, kid."

"I'm not small, ya hear!?"

"Why did you run from the orphanage?"

"What's that?"

"You don't know what the orphanage is?" Naruto's jaw dropped.

"Neva heard of it."

Osamu must have sensed Naruto's incredulousness, because he called back, "I moved to Konoha just a few days ago. Been living in a 'bandoned place few miles away."

"All alone?"

"Kia wen' off in the night when the food finished."

Naruto frowned. The casual tone did not bid well.

"And you don't care?"

"She was a bitch." There was something dark in Osamu's tone, "Hope she rots in hell."

Naruto didn't ask what she had done.

Both clones returned, one with food (healthy and nutrient-filled; _not _ramen, the kid needed nutrients), and the other with plain, civilian clothes Osamu's size.

"You done?" Naruto asked, entering the bathroom and hanging the clothes on the hook on the wall.

"Just about." Osamu called back from behind the shower curtain, "Why?"

"I've hung some clothes."

Then Naruto went back outside and waited. Soon enough, a few minutes later Osamu came out, dressed in the dark brown pants and buttoning a light blue shirt.

He looked better when he was clean, Naruto decided.

"What's that?" Osamu's eyes lightened up at the stack of food that awaited him.

Naruto sat down cross-legged on the floor and gestured, "Dig in."

Osamu leapt at it, and then paused, sniffing it suspiciously, "It's not poisoned, is it?"

"'Course not." Naruto smiled at the kid reassuringly, "I don't go around poisoning little kids."

"Not even if ya caught 'em stealin'?" Osamu asked around a mouthful of food.

Naruto laughed, "No, not even if I catch them stealing."

Osamu ate like he'd never eaten before, and it was only when the food was finished that he settled back with a sigh and a loud burp.

Naruto stood up, gesturing for him to do the same, and grabbed his shoulder, teleporting without warning again.

"Stop doing that!" Osamu yelled, "Where—"

"The barber. You're getting your hair cut so you look more human." Naruto's tone left no space for arguments.

Fifteen minutes later, they went back to the guest bedroom, with Osamu's hair cut shorter and neater.

"Now." Naruto faced Osamu, sitting down on the ground, "You have two options, Osamu. Either you can go to the orphanage, which, by the way, is a home for kids without parents or anyone to take care of them until someone takes them in, or you can live in an apartment and attend the Academy to become a shinobi like me."

"I…"

Naruto smiled gently, "You can stay here for now. You look pretty tired, get some rest."

Osamu nodded, "What're ya writing?"

"A note." Naruto replied shortly, "Rest up. I need to go."

"Hey, listen… Arigatou." Osamu said softly, sincerity obvious in his voice.

Naruto just smiled.

* * *

Hinata came home late after a long outing with Hanabi immediately after the Academy. Even so, she did not expect her husband to be home and he did not disappoint her. There was a note waiting for her in the bedroom, though.

_Hey koibito. There's a guest of mine staying in the bedroom two doors down. Shouldn't wake up for a while, he was exhausted. I'll explain once I get home, and I'll get off early today. Leave a few clones and all. See ya then. N._

Hinata smiled and put the note down. It burnt down into ashes immediately. Naruto was now used to using his specially sealed paper for notes.

She stretched before taking out a kimono from her closet. They needed to get their friends gathered soon, to make the announcement. The sensei could be told separately later.

Humming quietly, she entered the bathroom and drew the bath, choosing her favorite scents. She felt _so _tired…

A few minutes later, she sighed blissfully and sunk deep inside the steamed water. A hand rubbed at her gradually rounding belly absently, a gentle smile on her face. They had so much to do. Make a nursery, shopping, telling everybody, choosing names, choosing the godparents. The only people they had told yet were their respective families and that too under the vow of secrecy.

Hinata loved children. She had loved taking care of Hanabi when they were younger, and she loved playing with them when she grew up. It was why she never complained about the D-rank babysitting missions. Kids loved her too. There was something about her, probably her gentle and kind nature, that attracted them.

That brought up a frown. Most people thought Naruto was an endless bundle of confidence, but she knew that he was often self-conscious and lacked confidence when it came to particular matters, only he hid it well. After the war, she had taken him to see Kurenai-sensei and her son, and she had glimpsed the uncertain, self-doubting part of Naruto then. He had been so nervous, so convinced that he was going to drop the little baby. Later on he had confided to her that he had never in his life really held a baby. Babies, children in general in fact, were kept away from him when he was younger. Expecting women and mothers tended to avoid him like the plague, thinking he would influence their offspring.

A scowl marred the young woman's otherwise pretty features. She hated thinking about those times, when _she _was too weak to go and befriend the boy everyone hated.

And she knew Naruto would be nervous now. He would be nervous and uncertain around her, because he wouldn't know what to expect from her.

'_No. That won't happen unless I let it, and I'm not going to let Naruto-kun feel like that just because of his bad past.'_

* * *

Naruto stretched widely as he walked down the street to his home, nodding and smiling at the people he passed. He had opted to walk home in order to keep an eye on what was going on inside his village, even if he couldn't really dig _that _deeply. At least, he couldn't dig that deeply himself. He did have his sources for other diggings.

"Naruto-nii-san!"

Naruto smiled, "Oh, hey Konohamaru."

Konohamaru grinned up at his idol, "How ya doin? How's the team?"

"They're good, just returned from a mission as a matter of fact."

"How's Hinata-san?"

Naruto smiled widely, "She's fine. Oh, by the way, come over for dinner to ours' tomorrow. Everyone's invited."

"Everyone?" Konohamaru cocked an eyebrow.

"You know, Shikamaru, Temari, Choji, Ino and all. Hanabi might be over too. Hanako, Katashi and Fumio are definitely coming, and since Katashi couldn't find a babysitter for Fumiko, she'll be coming too."

"Big crowd." Konohamaru whistled, a gleam in his eye.

"Big party." Naruto smiled, "Got a little announcement to make."

"An announcement?" Konohamaru repeated, "Really? What is it?"

Naruto shrugged evasively, eyes twinkling, "Sorry. Hina would skin me if I told."

"As if." Konohamaru scoffed, "Come on, nii-san."

Naruto just smiled and disappeared in a flash, leaving his surrogate brother cursing.

* * *

Hinata was still in her dressing-gown, having decided to sort out Naruto's messy closet first. She was putting away a torn blue shirt when she felt a pair of strong, lean arms lift her up bridal-style.

Squealing happily, she wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck and leaned forward for a long, lingering kiss.

Pulling away momentarily, she accused, "You were supposed to be early."

Naruto nodded an apologetic look on his face, "Sorry. Got caught up on reading something."

A look of confusion came on Hinata's face, so he smiled and elaborated, "Been reading up on babies and what to expect from you. Don't want to be caught off-guard."

Hinata beamed at him, amazed at how much he had matured. Naruto leaned and gave her another kiss.

"That make up for it?"

She thought for a minute, "Nope. I was stuck cleaning _your _messy closet, Naru-kun."

Naruto pouted, "Hina-chan."

She just giggled, so he nuzzled her cheek and kissed her again. He kissed down her neck and nuzzled her shoulder, making her give in.

Moaning, Hinata arched her neck, giving him better access. Smirking, Naruto stopped immediately.

"Naru-kun." Hinata whined.

"Nope. Say it." Naruto demanded, smirking at her.

"Fine! I, Namikaze Hinata, cannot remain angry at my husband for more than five minutes."

Grinning, Naruto kissed her on the mouth this time. Still kissing, he put her down on the bed and got on top of her, making sure to put his weight on his hands…

Hinata collapsed on top of him, breathing heavily. Naruto smiled and put both hands on her belly, rubbing gently.

"Sakura-san said we can find out if it's a boy or a girl pretty soon." Hinata said a while later.

Naruto smiled, "You don't want to keep it a surprise?"

She nodded, "I wanted to, but…"

He just laughed, "Couldn't help yourself?"

Hinata smiled sheepishly.

"I've invited everyone tomorrow. Konohamaru, the team, the gang and all. Do you think I should invite the sensei too?"

"Well, they _are _the only ones left. Dinner?"

"But don't you dare exert yourself!"

Hinata groaned, "Naru-kun, I'll be _fine_."

"I don't care. You're not making dinner for so many people. Not on my watch." His stomach grumbled.

"We haven't had dinner." Hinata groaned softly, "I don't want to get up…"

Naruto kissed her hair lovingly, "I could go get something in a few minutes. You don't have to cook, hime."

"Arigatou." Hinata smiled, but then frowned, "You'll have to get up."

Naruto shook his head and made his favorite handseals. A clone appeared near the bed and rushed downstairs.

They lay there like that for a while.

Hinata finally broke the comfortable silence, "So who's your guest, Naru-kun?"

Naruto explained the whole issue.

Hinata hugged him gently, "You're so kind, Naruto-kun. I don't think there's anyone kinder than you."

Naruto smiled, blushing slightly at the praise. They lay there cozily until the memories of a dispelled clone came back to him. With a groan, Naruto sat up.

"C'mon, koibito." He kissed the side of her head.

Hinata sighed, but slipped on her nightdress and dressing gown. She did up her hair and went downstairs to the kitchen while Naruto fetched his guest.

The table was set, and there was even a vase filled with purple flowers. Naruto-kun had gotten rice balls, soup, sukiyaki, another healthy dish, and dumplings and onigiri.

She touched the flowers in the vase with a smile on her face, turning around when she heard footsteps.

Naruto entered with Osamu, who froze visibly when he saw Hinata.

"Relax." Naruto assured him, clamping a hand over his shoulder and squeezing lightly, "This is my wife, Hinata. Hinata-chan, Osamu."

Hinata smiled at the young boy, "It's very nice to meet you, Osamu-kun."

Osamu just nodded.

They sat down and Naruto grinned widely.

"Itadakimasu!" He said heartily and dug in.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here we go... Chapter Three! *-For all those who asked for a problem, well there's going to be one, just not yet. It's going to be more fluff-centered :P.**

* * *

Chapter Three:

Sasuke was sitting alone, breakfast in front of him, when there was a flash and Naruto appeared in front of him, arms wrapped around a blue-haired kunoichi. It took a few minutes to remember this was Hinata. She looked… different, glowing somehow.

Naruto smiled at him, "Hey teme. I wanted you to know before the others."

Hinata protested softly; he couldn't hear her, but Naruto just smiled and put his hands on her belly. A blush lit up Hinata's cheeks.

"I'm gonna be a dad." He announced.

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk. Trust Naruto to come straight to the point. He cleared his throat, forcing himself to speak.

"Congratulations."

Naruto nodded, "Get up."

Sasuke glared, "What?"

"I said get up, teme." Naruto said exasperatedly.

Sasuke sighed but obediently stood up. Naruto grabbed his arm and they were gone in a flash.

"The hell, dobe?" Looking around, he found they were in a corner of Ichiraku's, and breakfast was laid on the table.

"Naruto-kun." Hinata chided, sliding over easily.

Naruto laughed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Sorry. It's fun catching people off guard." He slid in beside Hinata, wrapping his left arm automatically around her waist.

Sasuke just snorted, getting in front of the two of them hesitantly.

"What am I doing here?" He asked.

Naruto shrugged, "I think it's been enough time for the villagers to get used to seeing you up and about the place. I'm going to set a curfew, and you won't be allowed outside without an ANBU—in fact, you won't be going _anywhere _without ANBU, but you can go out in certain places."

"Do I get permission to train?" Sasuke shot; and then winced silently.

Naruto smiled sadly, reminded of how power-hungry his friend still was.

"Not yet, Sasuke." He replied softly, "Itadakimasu!"

Hinata glanced at him and then echoed, "Itadakimasu."

They had breakfast quietly; occasionally the silence would be broken by either of the three asking for the other to pass something. It wasn't exactly awkward, but it wasn't really very comfortable either.

Sasuke cursed himself silently for tainting the atmosphere, then wondered why he cared so much. He shoved the thoughts aside and concentrated on breakfast.

"Well…" Naruto stood up, whistling.

Two young civilian girls came over immediately; both were dressed as waitresses.

"Hope you enjoyed yourself, Naruto-sama."

Naruto nodded at them, and then said, "Rat, Tiger, please escort Sasuke back."

Two ANBU appeared beside Sasuke, and spoke tonelessly, "Let's go, Uchiha-san."

Then Naruto turned to his wife and wrapped her in his arms, pulling her close. Hinata ran a hand through his hair.

"I'll see you at dinner." He murmured against her neck.

"Try to get home early please."

He nodded, "I'm heading home to check on Osamu first. I'll take him to the Office and see what he's decided. You're going straight to the Academy?"

Hinata nodded and kissed him quickly, "Take care."

He smiled and disappeared in a flash.

* * *

Naruto leaned back into his chair and thought for a minute. Osamu's decision to be a civilian didn't surprise him—but wanting to earn for himself did. But the young boy claimed he didn't like stealing, and only did it for survival.

He also wanted to work at a shop and attend the regular school.

Biting his lip, Naruto took out a scroll from the archives and stared at it, wondering where to put the kid.

"All right, kid." He started, "Here's how it is. I'll talk to my friends about it. I'll find you a place to stay, but until then you stay with me. I'll give you a decent amount to spend every day, and you can do whatever you like as long as you don't get in trouble."

Osamu nodded silently, "Arigatou."

Naruto smiled, handing him some money, "Spend it wisely. Go on, I've got work to do."

As soon as Osamu left, his genin—no, chuunin came in.

"Hey sensei." They said together with wide smiles.

"Hey guys. Here for a mission?"

"You bet!" Hanako shouted.

Katashi and Fumio both looked amused.

"Which reminds me, by the way, we need to catch up, sensei." Katashi complained, "We haven't seen you in a long time."

Naruto laughed, "Yeah, but you guys are coming over for dinner today. We can catch up then. Until then I have a short C-rank for you guys."

After detailing the mission Naruto assured them that it wouldn't take long for them to be back.

The three had just left when Kakashi came in through the open window.

"Mission report, Hokage-sama." He stretched wearily, "Gaara-sama wants to hold the meeting earlier than usual this year, given the disturbance in the Land of Wind at the moment."

Naruto nodded as Kakashi put a scroll in front of him, "You can have the rest of the week off, sensei."

"Maybe I should just retire." Kakashi mused.

Naruto smiled, "Maybe you should. You could convince Anko to do the same."

"Finally stopped calling her creepy-snake-lady?"

"Only behind her back. How are you two doing, by the way?" Naruto teased, "Tying the knot any time soon?"

Kakashi shrugged with a small smile on his face.

"Oh, by the way, dinner's with us tonight. I've invited everyone. A catch-up of sorts."

"Oh?"

"You can bring Anko if you want." Naruto offered.

Kakashi smiled, "Yeah, okay, I'll be there."

With a nod, Kakashi disappeared with the body flicker technique.

Naruto sighed before going over the mission report and Gaara's message.

'_The issue still hasn't been solved. I wonder when these people will learn that war only breeds hatred, and forgiveness is the key to peace.'_

With another sigh, Naruto took out a fresh scroll and started writing down a reply to Gaara's message.

* * *

Hinata knew Naruto would already have arranged everything, but she still went home early. And just as she expected, a dozen clones were up and about.

"Hey Hinata-chan." The one dusting the hall said with a grin, "The boss should be here in another two hours. Get his clothes ready, please."

Hinata nodded, smiling, "Where's the food?"

"One's already ordered it. We'll get it. You just go and relax."

Hinata nodded and kissed the clone on the cheek with a cheeky grin, "Take that back to him."

With a quick grin, the clone disappeared.

After making sure that all the clones were working properly, Hinata made her way upstairs. She went straight to the bathroom, drew a bath, and then turned to her closet.

She spent _ages _pondering on what to wear. By the time she chose a lavender informal kimono with dark blue light embroidery down the front, her bed was littered with all sorts of dresses. Hinata sighed wearily as she glanced at the pile waiting to be organized back into the closet.

"I'll handle that, hime."

She turned around to find a clone behind her, a smile on his face.

"Arigatou!" Hinata sang brightly, picking out a dark orange shirt and black casual pants for Naruto, "Leave these here, please."

Then she picked up her things and disappeared inside her bathroom.

* * *

Hinata glanced worriedly at the clock. Naruto was late. Sakura, Lee, Kiba and Shino were already there.

"Relax, Hinata. He'll be here soon enough." Kiba assured her, "Hey! Look, Sai and Ino are here."

Hinata nodded and went to greet them, "Ohayo, Sai-kun, Ino-chan."

Ino smiled widely before hugging the petite young woman, "You look beautiful, Hinata!"

Just then Hinata sensed a chakra signature upstairs. She smiled and excused herself before heading up to her bedroom.

She could hear the shower running, and Naruto's coat and hat were thrown carelessly on the floor. With a sigh, Hinata bent, picked them up, and put them away properly just as the bathroom door opened and Naruto stepped out, a towel slung around his neck and wearing just his pants.

"Hey hime." He pulled her close and gave her a quick kiss, "Sorry I'm late."

Hinata nodded, "Everything okay at work, Naru-kun?"

"Yup. All good." Naruto replied with a grin, kissing her again, "Who's here?"

"Ino-chan, Sai-kun, Shino-kun and Kiba-kun, and Sakura-chan."

"Sasuke should be here too. ANBU always arrive on time." Naruto started buttoning his shirt, and Hinata carefully dried his hair with a towel, making sure not to get her clothes wet.

"Kakashi-sensei won't be late, will he?"

Naruto laughed, "Nah. I threatened to burn his and Anko's collection of Icha Icha or to let Sakura loose on him. I swear she's a mini baa-chan."

Hinata's mind was suddenly filled with an image of a blue-spiky-haired young Byakugan-bearing boy yelling at a woman who looked a lot like Tsunade, only with pink hair.

She unsuccessfully suppressed a giggle.

"What?" Naruto demanded as she put the towel away, still smiling, "What is it, hime?"

She shook her head, "Don't worry about it. You ready?"

Naruto nodded, slipping his arm around her waist, "Let's go."

He took the downstairs with a body-flicker, amusing everyone waiting.

"You always were one for grand entrances." Sakura said with an amused smile, "Everyone's here, Naruto. Well… except Kakashi-sensei."

"Yeah, he'll be here. Shikamaru, I invited Temari too."

"Temari?" Shikamaru repeated.

Temari bowed theatrically, "The one and only."

Naruto laughed at Shikamaru's expression, "She's here to make sure you don't get in too much trouble."

"Hey, Temari! It's been a long time since your engagement. I hear wedding bells ringing soon." Naruto grinned, "See you guys."

Kakashi got there with Sasuke right behind him, only ten minutes late. Well, he did have a reputation to maintain.

When everyone was gathered Naruto wrapped his arm around Hinata's waist and cleared his throat loudly.

"Um… mina…" Hinata started meekly.

Still, the noise raged on.

"Mina… I have…" Hinata tried again.

Naruto cleared his throat louder this time.

Still there was no response.

A vein ticked in Naruto's forehead, "Shut up!"

Many people were smirking as they glanced at the couple. Naruto huffed and kissed Hinata's cheek.

Hinata took that as her cue.

"W-We have an announcement to make." She smiled brightly, folding both hands over her lower belly, "Naruto-kun and I are expecting."

The whole house erupted with cheers, and Naruto and Hinata beamed.

"So, when's the baby shower?" Ino demanded, "What have you guys started doing?"

Hinata laughed, "Naruto-kun's going to take a day off soon so we can go shopping, but he's very busy right now. The Allied Shinobi Forces are holding a meeting and there's a disturbance in Suna. He told me to do as much shopping as I can with you guys. Akira-ne-san's due soon, so Naruto-kun's busy with her too. He's already booked Sakura-san for next month for Akira-ne-san."

"Oh."

"Besides, she's only two months, Ino." Sakura addressed the blonde girl, "She's not due for a while. Let's take everything slowly."

"I thought maybe we could start shopping after another month, when I feel a little better and we know the gender."

"Good point."

"What are you girls talking about?" Tenten strolled over, "Is that Sasuke over there?"

Sakura looked away uncomfortably, "Um… yeah."

Hinata smiled at the girls, "Help yourselves to the food, please."

Playing the role of a good hostess, she went over to where Sasuke was sitting with two ANBU beside him.

"Hello, Sasuke-kun. Can I get you anything?"

"Hn." Sasuke shook his head.

"I wish you'd learn how to say yes or no, teme." Naruto joked, wrapping an arm around Hinata and pulling her into his side, "Though, seriously, you aren't eating anything."

"Hn." Sasuke grunted.

Naruto rolled his eyes and went off, leaving Hinata staring awkwardly at the ground next to the Uchiha heir. He was back in three to four minutes with a stuffed plate.

"Shove it, teme." Naruto handed Sasuke the plate and turned to Hinata, "Do I get you something, Hinata?"

She shook her head, holding out her almost-empty plate, "I'm good, thank you."

Nodding, Naruto walked off to where his team was desperately waiting for him.

"Sensei!" Hanako screeched, "Why didn't you tell us!?"

Naruto shrugged, laughing, "Sorry, guys. If I started that, then my sensei would say they should have been told first. Better to tell everyone together. Anyway, how are you guys going?"

Hanako wrapped her arm around Fumio's waist, grinning widely, "We're doing awesome."

"We'll totally kick your ass someday." Katashi agreed seriously.

"Someday." Naruto agreed, "But not any time soon. What about you, Katashi? You have to pull them apart with crowbars?"

Hanako and Fumio went pink.

"After I made them watch me making out with Noa, they totally stopped being lovey-dovey in front of me." Katashi replied, expression darkening a little.

"Everything okay?" Naruto questioned.

Katashi looked away, and admitted, "We broke up. She cheated on me with her brother's best friend."

Naruto nodded and squeezed his shoulder, "When?"

"Just last night." He forced a smile, "'S okay."

Naruto just shook his head with a sigh, "People can act worse than monsters. Even animals are better sometimes."

All three of his students stared at him.

"What!? I can say some philosophical things too, you know." Naruto defended himself, making all three teens grin.

"Sensei, have you and Hinata-san started thinking of names?"

Naruto shook his head with a grin, "The first thing we had to do was tell everyone. Now we'll start thinking of names and shopping."

"Will you have enough time for shopping?" Hanako asked dubiously.

Naruto sighed, "I'll make time. I told Hinata-chan to do as much shopping with the girls as she could, because I'm going to be very busy with the genin exams, the ASF meeting and stuff."

"You're invited, Hanako-chan." Hinata told the young girl with a smile, "You can come over any time you want."

"You bet I will!" Hanako said loudly, "My sensei's gonna have a kid! Oh my god, I can't _wait_!"

Naruto laughed, wrapping his arm around Hinata and nuzzling the side of her head, making her blush.

"Yep. I can't wait either." He replied.

* * *

**Review, please!**


	4. author note

So sorry, everyone! But I am officially quitting writing due to personal reasons! Sooooo sorry. As of now, Rokudaime Hokage and Dad is up for visit my profile for details, and PM me if you're interested in continuing the story. If I have more than one options, I'll definitely choose the best writer. Sorry, guys. Life doesn't let us do what we want all the time. Bye!


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